In de folder die ik eerder fotografeerde bij de kaartverkoop
was de volgende tekst te lezen:

The history of the founding of the tempel of Preah Vihear is known thanks for the five inscriptions.
The first found in Angkor and the four others on the site of the temple of Preah Vihear.

Inscription KS83 (found in Angkor) teaches us that at the beginning of the ninth century, Indrayudha received the God Civa order to bring to the site of Preah Vihear a “linga”, extracted from the large stone “linga” on the mountain Vat Phu (indrapura).
This linga was named Cikharecvara “Lord of the SUMMIT”.

Inscription K380 affirms that “Çri Bhadrecvara of Lingapura (What Phu) has been reborn at Çri Çikharecvara (Preah Vihear).. to show its power in a visible fashion, so that the world can admire”.

Built on a promontory of the Dangrek Range, 625 meter above sea level, Prasat Preah Vihear (the temple of the sacred mountain) as it is locally known represents a unique example of the integration of a temple complex within the natural landscape.
Like many Khmer temples in Angkor which were planned concentrically, Preah Vihear, responding to the natural context, is planned in a linear progression of levels.
For all the grandeur of its site, the temple stretches more than 800 meters along a north-south axe on four levels and four courtyards which comprise of five gopuras (entrance pavilions).
Each level has a different architectural character and experimental quality while one progresses towards the inner temple sanctum.

Established earlier as a hermitage site by Prince Indrayudha, son of King Jayavarman II, Preah Vihear gained stronger spiritual recognition and increased political prestige; clearing more than four centuries (9th -12th century).
The kings Yashovarman I (889 – 910), Suryavarman I (1002 – 1049) and his son Udayadityavarman II (1050 – 1066), Jayavarman VI (1080 – 1107), Dharanindravarman I (1107 – 1113) and Suryayavarman II (1113 – 1145) changed the original small sanctuary into one of the greatest Khmer temples of all times.